Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Outdoor notes:
*Ice is never completely safe. Avoid areas with vegetation, moving water, pressure ridges and springs. Check conditions as you go along on the ice.
*Remember to keep any fish caught in 20 feet of water and deeper because they don’t survive coming up from those depths.
*It is illegal to chase, harasses, or pursue all wildlife – including coyotes – with any motorized vehicle.
*Feb. 13: Spring turkey applications due. Applications available online at gf.nd.gov.
*Feb. 16: Light goose season opens.
Tournaments:
*Feb. 16: Jamestown Reservoir, Pelican Point; Sand Lake; Devils Lake; Hoggarth Dam; Lake Audubon.
Fishing:
*Devils Lake elevation, Feb. 5: 1,448.28 feet above mean sea level (MSL).
*Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.21 MSL.
*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,838.78 MSL; 26,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No Missouri River System, Devils Lake, or east-central area lake reports.
*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Limited activity. Moving around on Devils Lake is difficult.
*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Tracked vehicles recommended to move around on Devils Lake in addition to providing mobility to try to locate fish. Overall bite is tough, in part with inconsistent weather.
*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: No new reports with weather limiting activity.
*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: OK success in some area of Devils Lake but slow and spotty elsewhere. Moving around on the lake becoming extremely difficult.
*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Not much activity on area lakes with access becoming difficult.
*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Limited activity throughout area lakes.
*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity on area lakes or Jamestown Reservoir with wind, snow, and cold weather.
*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Occasional perch but walleye slowed. Anglers marking walleye but they’re not biting. Try the channel for perch. Good pike success with tip-ups and smelt. Access OK at the crossing.
*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Lots of houses on Lake Ashtabula with some walleye success. Limited perch activity. Access was OK prior to snow and windy weather earlier in the week but be prepared for changing conditions.
*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Weather permitting, anglers finding scattered walleye success on the east end of Lake Sakakawea. However, access is extremely difficult in most locations. Occasional pike spearing success from Douglas Bay with sporadic perch bite. Access challenging on Lake Audubon, at best. Try a variety of depths for both pike and walleye.
*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Limited activity on the Missouri River. Access difficult on Lake Audubon with little activity.
*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Activity and success slowing on area lakes with iffy access in many areas. Call ahead, if possible, for updated access information and be prepared with shovels and tow ropes in the event of becoming stuck.
*Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No new reports.
*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity.
*Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No reports.
*Spiritwood Lake, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.
N.D. Parks & Recreation Dept. ski trails:
*Lake Metigoshe, Bottineau: Good snow conditions with trails groomed, weather permitting.
*Turtle River, Arvilla: Weather permitting, trails will be groomed and in good condition.
Downhill skiing:
*Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 12- to 18-inch base with beginner runs, seven runs, seven tubing lanes, with two jumps and one rail Terrain Park open.
*Buena Vista Ski Area, Bemidji, Minn .: 18- to 36-inch machine groomed base with 16 runs and Bear Track Terrain Park open.
*Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: Delayed opening for the season.
*Huff Hills, Mandan: 22- to 28-inch powder, packed powder base. Seven runs and two lifts open.
*Terry Peak, Lead, S.D .: 84-inch snow accumulation with 26 runs and four lifts open.
Snowmobile N.D .:
*East-central Valley (Cass & Richland counties): Trails open and in good condition with 3- to 6-inch base.
*Lake Region (Nelson & Ramsey counties): Trails 1, 2 (Devils Lake to Webster), 3 (Webster to Calio), 5 (Doyon to warming house) and 6 (Doyon to Lakota) open with 3- to 9-inch base. Fair to good condition.
*Missouri Valley (Emmons & Burleigh counties): 4- to 7-inch base with Wilton, Moffit, Sterling, and Lincoln trails open.
*North-central (Benson, McHenry, Pierce, Ramsey, and Towner counties): NC 1, 2, and 3 trails closed but all other trails are open with 5- to 6-inch base. Fair to good condition but some icy areas.
*Northeast (Cavalier, Pembina, and Walsh counties): Border, Pembina, and Cavalier trails closed but all others open with 6- to 10-inch base. Many ditch trails full of snow.
*Red River South (Grand Forks & Walsh counties): 3- to 6-inch base with East Loop open but thin in spots in open areas.
*Sno-Trails (Bottineau, McHenry, Renville, & Ward counties) 2- to 5-inch base with Kramer to Bottineau trail open.
*Southern Valley (Richland County): All trails open with 4- to 7-inch base, although Trail 1 closed from Colfax to Walcott. Fair conditions.
*All other trails remain closed or are in the process of opening.
Numbers to know:
*N.D. Game and Fish Department, main Bismarck office: (701) 328-6300, website: (http://gf.nd.gov).
*N.D. Game and Fish Department, Devils Lake office: (701) 662-3617.
*N.D. Game and Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.
*Report All Poachers: (800) 472-2121 or (701) 328-9921.
